spring 2017

A Semiannual Publication of the Providence Athenæum

spring 2017

table of contents

HOLLY GABORIAULT

The People’s Poet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

KATE WODEHOUSE

Botanical Treasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

DANIELLE KEMSLEY

The Power of Human Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

LINDSAY SHAW

An Acknowledgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Miscellany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

— 2 — — 3 —

The People’s Poet

Holly GaboriaultDirector of Programs

I consider myself lucky to live in such a creative city. Providence has made a name for itself over the last decade as a home for artists, thinkers, and readers.

In preparation for the Philbrick Poetry Project in April, I spoke with one such thinker, Tina Cane, Rhode Island’s newly appointed Poet Laureate. Dubbed “the people’s poet” by Governor Gina Raimondo, Cane has championed the importance of literature, poetry, and imag-ination in schools. She is the founder and director of Writers-in-the-Schools, and a recent project had her bringing over 100 students to the Athenæum to research Edgar Allan Poe and book-making. The library has been lucky enough to call this talented poet a friend and member for over a decade. I was eager to get her take on her new posi-tion and the importance of poetry and the humanities in our nation right now.

***

Can you describe this new role and what it means to you?

The role of Poet Laureate is defined by the appointee, so I am free to fulfill the

job in any way I choose. There are “tradi-tions” one inherits from previous laureates, like the monthly column in the Providence Journal which appears every second Sunday of the month. I have chosen to curate the bulk of the first year’s columns and have engaged other Rhode Island poets to guest-write them. Part of my mission is to bring attention to the many talented poets in our state. This is a chance for them to share their varied perspectives on poetry and its connection to many other issues. Next year’s columns will focus on the importance of arts integration in education. I will invite members from the education community to reflect on their experience and share their expertise. I am also seeking to establish a Youth Poet Laureate and to expand subsi-dized writing opportunities for veterans. Having this job has turned out to be very meaningful to me personally. I am trusted to advocate for something that I love and in which I believe. I take this opportu-nity to heart.

What drives you to create your work?

Life drives my work. All writers have different reasons and ways to explain what propels us to do this kind of difficult and solitary work. I was talking with another poet the other night about writing through experience as a means to understand it. All I can say is that writing is a path. That is what I see when I am asked this question.

What does being Poet Laureate mean for you at this stage in your career?

Being Poet Laureate is an honor. It certainly helps to bring more visibility to me as a poet and to my work. More importantly, the existence of this post affirms the poet’s voice as a valid one and one which is valued by the broader culture.

What is the importance of poetry in today’s current social and political climate?

I’ve always believed that poetry is more of an approach than merely a genre. As such, it often fuses and distills the intellectual and emotional in ways that disclose other truths or nuances of experience. Poetry, for this reason, has always been an important force in intellectual and social change. Artists, I

find, tend to have sensitive antennae and strong responses. It is, therefore, always interesting - and crucial - to see what artists are doing during times of great change. Language is a system and a powerful tool. Anyone interested in understanding how power structures are operating during any era should examine how language is being used, why, by and against whom, and for what reason. Poets are closely attuned to language and can offer important insight into the underpinnings of culture and its direction. Poetry is powerful. A fierce poem can often dismantle indefinitely. A cudgel cannot.

Poetry is powerful. A fierce poem can often dismantle indefinitely. A cudgel cannot.

— 4 — — 5 —

What is the importance of a place like the Athenæum to the community?

I have taken countless students to the Athenæum on field trips for writing, book-making and tours. It never fails to awaken their curiosity and to stir their imaginations. One student from Central Falls High School remarked immediately upon entering, “Wow, it smells like books.” Another said, “This place is intimidating - in a good way.” The Ath is at once a magical and histor-ical place, as well as a space to do research and socialize. Every community should be so lucky to have such a beautiful and func-tional resource.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong, which is a beautiful and haunting book of poems.

I am also reading The Lonely City by Olivia Laing. She is a brilliant, sensitive writer and thinker. I would like to come back as her brain. Working by Studs Terkel is another title on my mind as it is seem-ingly indicative of what I’ve been thinking about lately. I just received an early copy of Matthew Zapruder’s Why Poetry?. He’s a great poet and his subject couldn’t be more relevant right now.

***

To learn more about our state’s poet-in-chief, visit her website at tinacane.ink or check out Writers-in-the-Schools at witsri.org. And if you’re interested in what she’s reading, stop by the library to pick up one of her recommendations. They’re on the shelves waiting for you.

THE PHILBRICK POETRY PROJECTJoin us Friday, April 28th for this annual event in its 19th year.

Rhode Island Poet Laureate Tina Cane and Gregory Pardlo, winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, bring us a night of reading and contemplation. Named for long-time Athenæum members Charles and Deborah Philbrick and generously sponsored by their family, the Philbrick Poetry Project fosters the art of poetry in Rhode Island and beyond.

NOCTURNE: GEOGRAPHY

Nights I come back to it city where I stood not on ceremony

but with my feet planted on the streets that raised me up my body

a locus suspended against an orange sky heat of my first love the subway

open to me not like a constellation

of bright things on my tv flashing their brassy light but like an atlas

cast in soft focus charting a passage

Tina Cane, from Once More with Feeling (Veliz Books, 2017)

Botanical Treasures: The Art and Science of Flower Prints

Kate WodehouseDirector of Collections & Library Services

Within the Philbrick Rare Book Room are several extraor-dinary masterpieces of botanical illustration. Flowers have been on my mind as the library has recently acquired a stun-ning 21st century interpretation of 19th century specimens.

It is fascinating to trace the evolution of botanical depiction through our collec-tion and study how collectors and botanists married art and science to impress, inform, and inspire. From the earliest hand-col-ored plates to the latest digitally reproduced portfolios, flowers have captured the interest of our members for centuries. One of my very favorite books in the Athenæum’s collection (and one of the most valuable) is the 18th century Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri, or Cabinet of Curiosities (1734-1765). This spectacular four-volume set includes 449 hand-col-ored, engraved plates of shells, insects, birds, reptiles, sea creatures, mammals (real and fantastic), and the plant life collection of the famed apothecary Albertus Seba. A shrewd collector and businessman, Seba bartered with sailors traveling the globe to acquire the collection shown in these volumes.

The arrangement of Seba’s plants and animals was driven by aesthetics rather than scientific accuracy, and his masterpiece is generally admired for its artistic value rather than its contribution to science. Few of the plants and animals collected abroad were drawn in the field; artists rendered most from preserved and often compro-mised specimens. In the plate shown (center spread), a flowering herbal plant (Acmella de Ceylan) is flanked by symmetrical butterflies and artistically arranged snakes. While beauti-fully depicted and gloriously hand-colored, the specimens demonstrate inconsistencies in scale and have limited descriptive text. The later introduction of Carl Linnaeus’s classification system and the technological advances in color printing greatly impacted the future of botanical science and the depiction of nature, as demonstrated by

— 6 — — 7 —

firmly a product of the 21st century, actively engages in the same pursuit. Artist Lyn Hayden’s Mexican Orchids of C.G. Pringle (2016) is a limited edition portfolio of six botanical prints. See the center spread for Odontoglossum maculatum, an orchid collected in Mexico by Cyrus Gurnsey Pringle in 1894. An inspired and obsessive collector, Pringle spent 35 years of fieldwork in North America, collecting and distributing over 500,000 specimens. He traveled thousands of miles each summer from his home in Vermont to Mexico to collect new plant specimens, including the dried orchid specimens Hayden unearthed while working as a volunteer curator and collection manager in the Brown Herbarium. Since her introduction to the collection at Brown, her art has focused on the fragile beauty and endangered aspects of plants from New England and beyond. In this portfolio, Hayden has documented and brought back to life six of Pringle’s fragile dried orchid specimens from Mexico. She researched the original plant coloration in the wild and meticulously hand-colored the prints digitally, using a process she describes as similar to “hand-coloring a lithograph or working with watercolor or gouache over a graphite drawing.” Every detail has been carefully consid-ered to produce the grand-scale images with

original specimen labels. The inkjet prints are printed with a black background on deckle edged archival paper, and enclosed in a handmade linen cloth portfolio embossed with silver lettering. An important acqui-sition to the collection, Hayden’s work can be viewed alongside earlier illustrated botanicals to showcase advances in modern printing technologies and the continuing desire to depict botanical beauty. Speaking of her work, Hayden remarked, “In the past, I have experimented with different forms of documentation: drawings as records of fact, photographs as a kind of forensic evidence, or forming part of an archive. For the Pringle orchids, I wanted to create an invented reality.” Hundreds of years apart and with centuries of technology between them, each of these botanical artists strove to “invent a reality” for their audiences, and to enhance our understanding of the natural world.

SALON: FLORA & FAUNATim Whitfield from the Brown University Herbarium joins us Friday, March 31.

The Brown Herbarium was founded in 1869 when the university acquired the collections of the Providence Franklin Society and Stephen Thayer Olney. Collections Manager Tim Whitfield will discuss the institution’s founding botanists, including Athenæum members Stephen Thayer Olney and William Whitman Bailey. Botanical specimens collected from nearby sites such as Cat Swamp (formerly near Wayland Square) will be displayed along-side botany manuals and texts by these distinguished scientist collectors.

“I wanted to create an invented reality.”

later works of botanical illustration in the Athenæum’s collection. The 19th century was the age of lithog-raphy and chromolithographic printing technologies that revolutionized botanical illustration. In England there was a growing interest in science and botany. At the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the grounds were expanded to meet public demand, and bota-nists and artists were sent abroad to collect, record, and bring home exotic plants. Sir William Jackson Hooker, Director of Kew, and his son Joseph Dalton Hooker were both accomplished bota-nists and artists. In 1847, J. D. Hooker trav-eled on a three-year Himalayan expedition. His resulting work, The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya (1849-51), was edited by his father and illustrated by Walter Hood Fitch (see cover). In contrast to Seba’s set, this folio is far more scientific. It is dedicated to a singular flower species, was researched in the field, is illus-trated by the premiere botanical artist of the mid-19th century, and has text written by a leading professional botanist. In America, botanical publishing in the mid-19th century was generally focused on meeting the demand for amateurs and limited to small treatises and manuals for the home botanist and the growing market

of women hobbyists. While America did not venture into such lavish and expen-sive works as those produced in England, a spectacular giant water lily from the Amazon was the inspiration for a high-light of American publishing - Victoria Regia by John Fisk Allen (1854), an elephant folio illustrated with color lithography. Allen, a rich business man and amateur botanist, acquired the plant seed from the

president of the Horticultural Society in Philadelphia. This stunningly illustrated volume drawn from life depicts Allen’s successful cultivation of a single giant waterlily propagated in Salem, Massachusetts and was a pioneer publication in the new medium of chromolithography in America. The printing for this work was done by accomplished lithographic artist William Sharp and is credited with intro-

ducing color lithography to Boston. Sharp’s plates for the American edition are closely modeled on those of an English publication on the lily by Fitch (the Rhododendrons’ illus-trator). The color lithographic prints show the enormous white flower in various stages through its cycle, as it opened in the evening and closed again at dawn. Such advances in printing combined with the study of living flora (often in its natural environment) resulted in works that were revered both for their artistic and scientific value. We are lucky to have in our collection such extraordinary natural history books. These volumes by Seba, Hooker, and Allen demonstrate both the consistencies and advances of botanical representation. All these works were significant undertakings, intended to illuminate the natural world for fellow botanists, world travelers, and curious readers alike. The library is proud to add to their numbers a new work which, while

A FLORAL EXHIBITION

Philbrick Rare Book Room - We are excited to present an exhibition, Botanical Treasures: The Art and Science of Flower Prints, which will include the extraordinary folios described here, on display March 31 - May 31.

— 8 — — 9 —

– Odontoglossum maculatum orchid spec-imen found by C.G. Pringle on oaks at 8,500 ft, Sierra de San Felipe, Mexico, Dec 1894 (digitally hand-colored inkjet print by Lyn Hayden, 2016).

© L

yn H

ayde

n

– Acmella de Ceylan with serpents and butterflies. Albertus Seba, Cabinet of Curiosities, Vol 1, plate X (hand-colored engraved print, Amsterdam, 1734).

— 10 — — 11 —

and humbled that each of these people has given thought to what they would like their legacy to be, what their values are, and what matters most to them, and have decided that they would like to include the Athenæum in their will or estate plans. They join a long line of individuals whose dedication and generosity has allowed the library to continue to thrive for two centuries. The Athenæum simply would not exist today without their foresight and philanthropy through bequests and planned gifts, which have steadily built up the endowment and provided for the long-term financial health of the organization. I have been so curious to discover what inspired some of our founding Athena Society members to make such a mean-ingful commitment to the library. Lifelong library member Garry Bliss shared that “the Athenæum has been a constant in my life - from attending children’s programs and leaving with a pile of books on Saturday mornings, to getting scared as a teenager going through the haunted house in the old basement, to summers shelving books and working at the front desk, to introducing my own children to stories and books I had loved, to now attending Salons as the perfect end to a working week.” For him “the Athenæum has become an increasingly important part of the cultural landscape of Providence over that time, and I want to make sure it is there for future generations the same way it has been for me.” The Athenæum has also played an important role in the life of former Board President Deming Sherman and his family, as their association has stretched over five generations, “from [his] grandmother and her sister, an avid reader to whom a nook in the children’s library is dedicated, to [his] young grandchildren, who love to visit the Athenæum when they are in town.” He has included the institution in his estate plans “to ensure the Athenæum’s important

role as a library and a community cultural organization,” and has chosen to direct his gift to the endowment, to “ensure additional support for the library and its operations and programs.” He continues: “The Athenæum is fortunate to have an endowment that is a result of contributions of generous bene-factors in the past; however, the endowment must grow in the years ahead to sustain its first-class programs and library services and keep dues at a reasonable level, and I pleased to contribute to it.” I have been so touched to learn of supporters who moved across the country several years ago, who still think fondly of their time spent in the library and who have included the Athenæum in their will. This couple shared that they will always appre-ciate “the wonderful architecture of the building and its furnishings; the warmth,

We offer our heartfelt thanks to these generous individuals who have included the Athenæum in their estate plans:

Anonymous (2)

Anonymous*

Candy Adriance

Kqantu Pareja Bent

Garry Bliss

Melanie and Stephen Coon

R. Tripp Evans

Lynne Hoppin-Fazzi

Mary Louise Kennedy

Jane and Tony Lancaster

Timothy Philbrick

Cynthia Shattuck

Deming and Jane Sherman

Jim Sunshine

* deceased

FOUNDING ATHENA SOCIETY MEMBERSThe Power of Human Connection

Danielle KemsleyDirector of Membership & Development

If I were ever to write an essay for This I Believe, I would most likely state that I believe in the power of human connection.

I grew more and more involved with the Athenæum (as a member, donor, board member, and ultimately staff member) in large part because I appreciated how much the organization valued and nurtured human connection and relationships in an increasingly isolated and technology-driven world. I am a person who chooses not to use self-checkout stations at libraries, and always seeks out a staff member to engage with. I am very conscious of how even a brief interaction with someone - be it a stranger or someone I know - can brighten my day and energize and inspire me. I feel incredibly lucky that my work allows me so many opportunities to meet our supporters and form mean-ingful relationships with them. I delight in speaking with them during the day as they visit to check out books, when they attend the Salon and programs in the evenings, and when I meet their children and grand-children in the Children’s Library. I relish

hearing their memories and anecdotes, and often learn something new and remarkable about the library’s history. Just recently, when coordinating the Burns Night celebration for the library, I had a wonderful conversation with former Board President Jane Langmuir, and learned more about her late husband Paul, the enthusiastic force and organizer behind the Athenæum’s Burns Nights in the 1980s, including the

fact that he arranged for their friend Jean Redpath (the renowned Scottish folk singer) to perform at the event. We dedicated this year’s celebra-tion to Paul’s memory, and simply had to play some Jean Redpath as people arrived to honor the Athenæum’s past. As a result of recently launching the Athena Society for legacy giving, I’ve had the

pleasure of meeting with several people who have made what I view as the most significant and meaningful commitment of all to the Athenæum. I am so grateful

— 12 — — 13 —

An Acknowledgment

Lindsay ShawChildren’s Librarian

I rarely pause to look at our guestbook that is stationed by our front entrance. But one day in July it called out to me, and I stopped to read some of the comments left by visitors from near and far.

Below a message written in Turkish by a visitor from Istanbul, I found this note: It was a pleasure to visit the Providence Athenæum during our trip. In an age where turmoil is prevalent in the news, we must turn to books and remind ourselves of the value of our civiliza-tion and democracy. I was deeply moved by this eloquent statement. So much so that I actually grabbed my phone and took a picture to remember it. The other night I was perusing my photos and rediscovered this guestbook picture. I am so glad I saved it as a reminder, especially now when these past months have been so unsettling.

Looking at this message through the lens of the Children’s Library illuminates for me the importance of not taking for granted the value of your choice to include regular library visits as part of your family’s routine. Finding the time to bring your family to a welcoming environment away from home, an environment dedicated to inspiring a love of exploring the world through reading, is a worthwhile gift. As children grow to be confident readers and become self-directed in their reading choices, we can feel good about the impact that exposure to the books found on the shelves of this and other

knowledge, and enthusiasm of the staff; the interesting and eclectic topics of the Salons; the thrill of being in the stacks discovering old authors who have been constant friends and finding new ones that open unimag-ined vistas; and being part of the continuum of searchers and readers who have browsed the stacks for centuries.” They asked “How can one settle into a well-worn chair, without the wondrous realization that we are but particles in the middle of a long line of inquiring minds?” Let us end with some words from our current Board President Tripp Evans: “Whenever I walk into the Athenæum, I feel so grateful for the gift that past

generations of members have given to us all. By including the library in my will, I not only honor that legacy, but I also pledge my support for the Athenæum’s future commu-nities. And if heaven doesn’t turn out to look precisely like the Athenæum, then my gift will also ensure the comfort of my ghost. Look for me in the Art Room.” How many people can say they work at a place where even the ghosts are friendly? This is an incredible community, and my life has been so enriched by the people I have met here. I humbly thank those who value this library and who continue to ensure that my children and my children’s children will find a home here too.

BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER

We invite you to join the Athena Society, newly created to honor and recognize those who have included the Athenæum in their will or estate plans. By becoming a member, you join this longstanding collective of thinkers, readers, and friends who, through philanthropy, have demonstrated their love for and need of the humanities, conversation, and the written word. Your commitment will ensure the vitality and preservation of our outstanding programs, wide-ranging collections, historic building, and cherished Children’s Library. You can join by informing us in writing of the Athenæum’s inclusion in your estate plan.

Athena Society benefits and recognition include:- Invitation to an annual Athena Society event and other special programs- Priority reserved seating at programs- Your name on a commemorative plaque in the Athenæum- Athena Society lapel pin and pen- Opportunity to schedule a private tour of the library and special collections

Ways of giving include, but are not limited to:- Bequest - Life Insurance- Retirement Plan - Charitable Gift Annuity- Charitable Remainder Trust - Charitable Lead Trust

To join the Athena Society or to discuss possibilities, please contact Danielle Kemsley at 401-421-6970 x15 or dkemsley@provath.org, or complete and return the confidential reply form that you may have received in the mail.

— 14 — — 15 —

libraries has had on a young child’s life and their relationship with the wider world. I’m sure you already know that. You also must know that when children read, “civi-lization and democracy” are most likely not their direct motivation. Their choices can sometimes be, to our adult reckoning, not especially meaningful or even particularly deliberate. Nevertheless, even the most friv-olous titles or silly stories become part of the ties that bind us to humanity and teach children to think, communicate, and explore the wider world beyond their direct experience. I realize that what I have chosen to write about in my corner of the Penman is nothing ground-breaking; it’s simply a friendly reminder that what we do when we provide well-rounded reading experiences for children by visiting the library and browsing its collections is something that should be celebrated. Thank you for choosing to be here and for demon-strating to your children the power of a curious mind. The images seen here are from a sampling of newer titles that not only enter-tain, but inform the reader as well. These books do not necessarily directly address the larger idea of “civilization and democracy;” rather, they take readers to a more personal

place, a starting point that will, I hope, inspire young readers and even adults to consider the complex circumstances, social structures, and historical events that define humanity. As we all know, a well-told story allows us to walk in a character’s shoes and for a moment, connect with something larger than ourselves. This list of titles is admittedly small, so I invite you to visit the Children’s Library

and the Young Adult alcove as well - these two locations house many more books that will appeal to the searcher in all of us. As always, Nancy and I are

eager to assist you and your children in your quest and thank you whole-heartedly for choosing our library as your point of entry to other worlds.

Be sure to check out these titles and more on your next visit!

Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holms

Unbound by Ann E. Burg

Save Me a Seat by Gita Varadarajan

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall II

The Inquisitor’s Tale written by Adam Gidwitz, illus-trated by Hatem Aly

George by Alex Gino

The Other Boy written by M.G. Hennessey, illustrated by Sfe R. Monster

MY HEART’S IN THE HIGHLANDSWe salute those who supported our Burns Night celebration on January 25.

The event raised over $13,000 for the library! We are particularly grateful to event chair Cathy Lund, lead sponsors Sally Strachan, Dr. Beverly Walters and Dr. George Buczko, and Susan Jaffe Tane, who also loaned us her remarkable copy of the Complete Works of Robert Burns. We extend our thanks to Sally Strachan for inspiring the event; to actors Thomas McDonald Oakes and Frances Martindale; to musicians Cathy Clasper-Torch and Dan Lanier; to photographer Frank Mullin; to Campus Fine Wines and Howard Mahady; to Sally Godfrey for catering the event, assisted by Jennifer Huntley-Corbin; to Martha Murphy for bartending; and to volunteers Claire Dunning, Peggy Edwards, Melissa Eliot, Lucia Huntley, Jennifer Kiddie, Susan Murphy, and Philip Siblo-Landsman.

BRING ON THE PUPPETS!

Each year spring welcomes the well-loved and highly acclaimed storyteller and puppeteer Sparky Davis to our library! Please save this year’s date, Saturday,

March 25 at 10:30am and join the fun with Sparky and her vociferous puppets as they present The Kingdom of Riddles, a delightful interactive performance star-ring a jolly jester and a charming cast of characters. Please register with Lindsay at 401-421-6970 x17 or lshaw@provath.org.

NEW FACES

We have recently welcomed four new staff members to the library. These brief words do not do them justice, so say hello when you see them in the stacks!

Amy VanderWeele (Membership & Development Associate/Circulation) enjoys listening to conversations in Dutch, appreciates a Swiss-made time-piece, abhors a poorly thought-out playlist, and thinks that the best way to make a friend is to lend them a book.

Dan Comerford (Circulation) has three fluffy cats, but his favorite is his Persian cat, Lady Clementine. He has been a vegan for six months.

Poet Juli Anna J. Herndon (Circulation) loves libraries, cooking, biking, and adventures of all sorts. She is the poetry editorial assistant for Literary Mama.

Will Quinn (Circulation) is a winner of the Stillwell Book Collecting Prize, is an aspiring illustrator, and is getting married at the library in May.

SIX-MONTH SNAPSHOTSince September…

20,347Visitors to the Athenæum

Most popular title, fiction

The Black Widow by Daniel Silva

Most popular title, non-fiction When Breath Becomes Air

by Paul Kalanithi

Most popular title, children’s The Cloud Searchers

by Kazu Kibuishi

Most popular DVD (it’s a tie!)Carol and Shetland, Seasons 1 & 2

— 16 —

The Providence Athenæum gratefully thanks the following funders for their support:

Athenæum programs are made possible through major funding support from the RI Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Athenæum activities are made possible in part by a grant from the RI State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the RI General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

PENMAN CREDITSEditor – Robin Wetherill, Communications Manager

IMAGE CREDITSCOVER: The Rhododendron Aucklandii or Lord Auckland’s Rhododendron from Joseph Dalton Hooker’s The Rhodo-dendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya. London: Reeve, Benham, and Reeve, 1849.

TINA CANE: Courtesy of Tina Cane and Olivia Sauerwein

LEAF: Peterson, Maude Gridley. How to Know Wild Fruits. New York: London: Macmillan, 1905.

ATHENA: Hope, Thomas. Costume of the Ancients. Vol. 1. London: H.G. Bohn, 1841.

ROLL THE CREDITS!

We are so thankful for the generous businesses, organizations, and individuals who make our undertakings possible. Please make it a point to let these fine friends know how much their investment in the Athenæum’s 2016-17 program season and activities means to you: The Archive, Document, Display, and Disseminate Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation; Campus Fine Wines; DeLuca & Weizenbaum; the Gertrude N. Goldowsky and Seebert J. Goldowsky Foundation; Granny Squibb’s Iced Tea; The June Rockwell Levy Foundation; Mabel T. Woolley Trust; Mullen Scorpio Cerilli, cpas; The Murphy Family Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation; Narragansett Brewery; Partridge Snow & Hahn, llp; the Pearle W. & Martin M. Silverstein Foundation; the Philbrick family; Pizza Gourmet; Residential Properties; the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities; Rhode Island Mensa; the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts; Taco/The White Family Foundation; and Variable Data Printing. We especially thank our Spring 2017 Season sponsor Washington Trust.

A round of applause must also go to our presenting partners: Pub Quiz-Master Alex Moffett; Brown University Bookstore; Brown University Herbarium; Goat Hill Writers; the John Carter Brown Library; Providence Children’s Film Festival; Providence Public Library; Rhode Island Public Radio; and Trinity Repertory Company.

And we simply could not continue without our endlessly energetic, constantly charming, and doggedly dedicated Program Support Committee volunteers, led with wit and charm by Jennifer Kiddie: Murat Aydogdu, Adele Bourne, Peggy Edwards, Melissa Eliot, Carl Farmer, Grace Farmer, Faith Fogle, Karl Galloway, Don Harper, Liz Hubbard, Lucia Huntley, Jennifer Huntley-Corbin, Lucy Ann Lepreau, Elsie Morse, Melissa Nickerson, Jack Nolan, Cynthia Shattuck, and Philip Siblo-Landsman.

providenceathenaeum.org